ESI presentation on the situation in the Balkans to the OSI Board in New York

New York. Photo: flickr/fergusonphotography

Gerald Knaus presented on the situation in the Balkans to the OSI Board in New York. Among those present were George Soros, OSI Chairman, Ivan Krastev, Chairman of the Board, Centre for Liberal Strategies, Sofia, Heather Grabbe, Head of the OSI's Brussels office, and other members of the board.

Gerald's main line of argument was that parts of the Western Balkan region might remain in limbo for some time to come, caught between a post-conflict past and an uncertain European future, burdened by high unemployment and weak institutions, and (in the worst case scenario) isolated from the rest of the world. Complacency, based on a belief in the all-curing potential of European integration, is not warranted, particularly when the EU itself has not offered countries like Serbia or Bosnia a sufficiently credible membership perspective. Even if a return to conflict appears implausible, this alone does not ensure a path towards stability.

Alan Grant is an Irish photographer who travelled extensively in the Balkans and other countries and regions of the world. Thanks to him, ESI is able to show fascinating pictures of the Balkans: the facades of Tirana, the painted mosques of Travnik, the fabulous old houses of Plovdiv and the spectacular blue of water - dark in the Bay of Kotor, emerald in the river valleys of Bosnia, deep blue in Ohrid, twinkling in the Aegean Sea and on the Bosporus.

Jonathan Lewis lives between London and Istanbul. He moved to London and spent many years studying photography and now specialises in photojournalism, documentary photography and commercial work for a wide variety of private and commercial clients in the UK, Europe and Turkey. His work has appeared in a number of magazines and publications and is used on the ESI website as well.